The new moon is the closest in nearly 1,000 years tonight

January 21, 2023

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Tonight’s new moon could also be invisible, however that does not make it any much less vital.

It isn’t typically we get excited a couple of new moon from a skywatching perspective, given you can’t see something from the vantage level of Earth. (New moons happen when the illuminated half of the moon is dealing with away from us, leaving us seeing nothing however darkness.) However tonight’s new moon is a very particular one.

It is the closest new moon to Earth for the reason that 12 months 1030. At 3:54 p.m. EST (2054 GMT), the moon will likely be precisely 221,561 miles (356,568 km) away from our planet, in accordance with Timeanddate.com (opens in new tab), which sifted by information from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to find out the distances of each Earth-moon distance for lots of of years.

Associated: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

As a result of the moon’s orbit just isn’t completely round, however elliptical, its distance from Earth adjustments on a regular basis. The following time the new moon will likely be this shut will likely be on Jan. 20, 2368 — and that moon will really be 6 miles (9 km) nearer than this one. By comparability, the moon’s common distance is 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away.

Now if this moon have been a full moon, we might take into account it a supermoon, which happens when the moon is close to perigee, or its closest level to Earth throughout its orbit, and due to this fact seems larger and brighter within the sky. However since it is a new moon, the skies will likely be completely darkish. However the tides will nonetheless be impacted by this “invisible” supermoon — Earth will expertise a king tide, or an particularly excessive tide, someday round this date.

However this moon is particular for an additional purpose; it marks the Lunar New 12 months, a significant competition celebrated throughout Asia, significantly in China. This 12 months is the 12 months of the rabbit, per the Chinese language zodiac, a 12-year cycle throughout which every year is represented by a unique animal. Throughout Asia and in Asian communities around the globe, family and friends will collect over good meals and good laughs, with loads of good luck to go round.

If you do not have all of the gear you have to see the night time sky up shut through the new moon, our guides on the best telescopes and best binoculars are an incredible place to start. Should you’re trying to take the very best photographs you possibly can of the night time sky, try our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Observe Stefanie Waldek on Twitter @StefanieWaldek (opens in new tab). Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and on Facebook (opens in new tab).